Controlling an electric light source is important in many applications (e.g., ON/OFF control and controlling the amount of light output). The way some light sources, such as floor lamps and wall and ceiling mounted light fixtures, are turned ON and OFF is cumbersome if there is no wall mounted ON/OFF switch. Sometimes wall mounted ON/OFF switches are not placed in ideal locations and can be placed far from the light source. The need for different amounts of light in different situations can be addresses by either exchanging the light source (e.g., light bulb) with different rated bulbs, or by controlling the amount of power allocated to the bulb. The first of these options has disadvantages of cost and time associated with maintaining a variety of bulbs and interchanging the bulbs. The second of these options, sometimes referred to as a dimming feature, can have many advantages.
A system that provides a variety of ON/OFF and dimming capabilities would be an advance in the art.